The Art of Deception
by Airame Phantom
Summary: I never expected this from you, he said, teeth clenched with anger, blue eyes flaring with angry flames. So are you just gonna walk away? Forget me? I'll make sure you never forget what you did to me, never....
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I do not own the song 'It Wasn't Enough' by Good Charlotte. If I did, trust me, it would sound way more different! Not the good kind of different either!**

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**The Art of Deception**

**Chapter One**

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_"I will try to believe in the things I cannot see  
But my faith is shaking now like it's never been before  
When I call  
And you don't come  
I don't know what I should do  
Should I call?  
Should I even count on you?"_

* * *

"That whelp is messing up my plans," said one voice. This one sounded fearsome. 

"The boy is only fourteen, he does not know what he's doing until it's over. He believe only in 'helping others' with his powers," said the second. This voice sounded a little bit well-mannered, but easily angered.

"He messed up my prison, little punk," said the third. This person sounded like he meant business. He also sounded cold-hearted.

"Luckily, dear friends, I have someone who can help us. Please, my dear, if you will introduce yourself?"

A young girl stepped into the light. Her dark hair was pulled into a pony-tail. She wore a serious look on her face, unpenetrable. Not the slighest bit of emotion spurred into her expression. Her clothes were simple, made especially for tight situations should there be need to make a quick get away: a skin-tight hazmat suit the color of dark shadows. One hand on her hip, she scanned around, her eyes landed on the person who had brought her up into the conversation.

The first person, stood and walked over to the girl, his metal ecto-skeleton gleaming slightly. He circled her; she didn't stir, only watched as he went back to his seat. "Something wrong, Skulker?" she asked smugly.

"She is not a clone," he murmured. "How did you manage to get her on our side, Vlad?"

"It was simple," he said. "She has been on our side for a _very_ long time."

"Are you sure we can trust her?"

"Feeling a little doubtful, Walker?" the girl asked.

Walker narrowed his eyes. "If you fail to show me respect, I will personally-"

"Calm down, Walker," Vlad said. "We are here to converse about the boy. We have everything we need. We need nothing more except to play our cards right. At the moment, we hold all the cards, or most of them. But Daniel seems to be able to squeeze out of even the most tight situations..."

* * *

"Haaaawh!" Sam yawned. 

"Long night last night, Sam?" Danny asked her best friend.

"Gah! Lancer's stupid math test had me doing some last minute cramming," Sam responded glumly. "What about you? You've got bags under your eyes. I don't know how you do it, but you always manage to get enough sleep to look like you're just fine."

"As if," Danny replied just as glumly. "I barely got any last night. I think I'm gonna fail."

"Somehow you'll muddle through," Tucker said. "You always do. I mean, I actually study and I've got a worst grade than you."

"Thanks, Tuck," Danny said, giving his African American friend a sincere smile.

"What am I here for?" Tucker said, smiling back. A pretty girl with red-hair and a blue halter top walked by, stealing Tucker's attention. "And speaking of what I'm ehre for, hey, need some help carrying those books?" Tucker walked after the girl.

Danny chuckled. Tucker never got tired of doing that. Sam looked at him. She made sure Tucker was out of ear-shot, and said, "Danny, is something up?"

Danny turned to her. "No," he said.

"You sure? You look a little more nervous than usual," she said.

"This is one of the reasons I hate you," Danny said. He sighed and ran an uncertain hand through his hair. "Yeah, I guess. I don't know, school's taking out a lot of my time from ghost-hunting. Skulker got out yesterday and I couldn't find him. I think he may have returned into the Ghost Zone, but that only raises my suspicions. If he's up to soething, I may not be able to go into the Ghost Zone to find out without Walker landing on my tail."

"Sucks, doesn't it?" Sam said.

"You have no idea." Just then, the bell rang. "Time for Lancer," he remarked towards Sam. She groaned and began to walk away since she had this class alone when Danny stopped her. "And Sam?"

She turned to look at him. "I have to admit, it's also one of the things I like about you most." She didn't get it at first, what he meant, but then she realized what he was talking about.

"What are friends for," she said.

"I don't know, what?" Danny said teasingly. She smiled and waved.

"Bye, Danny," she said. Danny smiled back and waved as well. They parted paths.

* * *

E/N: It was short, too short, you know what means! Spacing, yep, I'm spacing the chapters so the lyrics will make sense. Oh yeah, I'm awesome! Nah, just kidding. I'm not awesome, just weird. Well, this'll take out of my time and schedule. I hope I at least get the next chapter up tomorrow.

--Airamé Phantom


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I do not own the song 'It Wasn't Enough' by Good Charlotte. That was one of the songs that inspired this tale.**

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**The Art of Deception**

**Chapter Two**

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_"I'm giving all I can  
It wasn't enough  
To keep you in my hands  
Should I give up?  
I try to understand  
Was it ever enough?  
I don't understand..."_

* * *

It was still first period, only about thirty minutes into class. Sam ran through the problems, doing all the ones she knew perfectly. They weren't many either. When she was done doing that, she had about nine out of all forty problems done. She grasped a few locks of black hair in her hand and tapped her pencil three times, then twirled it in her hand, and tapped it again. She glanced at Tucker. He'd finished his test about five minutes before. She bit her lip. She looked at Lancer. He was subsituting for Mr. Folluka, their regular math teacher, and Lancer knew very well how to catch cheaters. Plus Tucker and she were sitting in the front row, only making things worst. 

"Time's up," Lancer finally said, standing up. "Pencils down, papers to the front."

Sam accidentally pressed the pencil hard onto the desk, and the led snapped. Tucker looked at her, then at her test. He grimaced. Ouch she'd only answered about one fourth of the questions. He turned to collect the papers that had been passed up. Sam did the same. While she was doing so, Tucker looked at her pencil. He stifled a gasp. Her fingers ahd left thin indents on the wood, it close to snapping. not to mention that the led of the pencil seemed to have been piercing through the hard wood of the desk.

Ten minutes later of doing classwork, Lancer passed back the papers. All except Sam's. Only five minutes were left of class. He spent them by calling her up to his desk. "Miss Manson, come here, please," he said.

Sam stood and wlaked over to the bald teacher, standing before his desk. He leaned forward and rested both elbows on the desk. "Your grades, Miss Manson," he said. "Have been decreasing steadily. Is something wrong?"

"I don't know what you're tlaking about," Sam said, looking at him firmly.

Lancer only shook his head and flipped over the paper on his desk so Sam could see it. There was ehr test. Her name was in the upper right-hand corner. Towards the middle of the paper, a big, fat, red 'F.' Sam stared incredulously at the paper. Sure, she'd gotten a few 'C's and 'D's lately, but not an '_F_'. Then again, what'd she expect from answering only ten problems. "An explanation, Miss Manson?" Lancer asked.

Sam bit her lower lip. "Sorry," she said. "Just that there was this whole family thing going on at my hosue last night and I really didn't have time to study at all. I barely finished my homework for today. I had no time for anything else."

"I suggest you make time, Miss Manson, or you'll be facing a 'D' on your report card." Lancer was perfectly serious. Sam grimaced. A 'D'? She couldn't have a 'D'! Her parents would kill her!

"I'm sorry," she said.

From his seat, Tucker listened intently. Family thing? No time for studying? But she'd told them that morning she'd been up late at night studying. Why had she lied to them? He narrowed his eyes slightly, then got a blank piece of paper and jotted it down. Something was up and he was gonna find out what it was. He wondered what she was really doing last night...

* * *

Danny sat against the wall, waiting for Sam to exit her last class before lunch. Tucker stood next to his fallen comrade. He'd gone through serious torture with that stupid test. All he needed right now was something to take his mind off his grade. Sam finally stepped out of her english classroom and glanced down at Danny, then up at Tucker. Tucker shrugged. Danny hadn't told him yet. 

She glanced at Danny and, as if on cue, he handed up to her a paper he'd been holding. She took it and moved out of the way before someone from behind her forced her out of the doorway. Scanning the paper she quickly realized it was his math test. She looked at the red letter right on the center. 'D'.

"My parents are going to kill me," he sighed, still not looking up.

"Danny," Sam said. "Think of it this way, it's better than my grade." Danny looked at her. She wasn't being serious was she?

"What?" he questioned.

"I got an 'F'," Sam admitted.

"Why?" Danny asked, now perfectly confused.

"Because she didn't study," Tucker answered before she could.

"But I thought you said you'd stayed up late studying," Danny remarked.

"Apparently she couldn't study because there was some sort of family reunion at her house," Tucker said.

Danny looked at Sam. "You lied?" he asked, and stood up.

"Not lied, exactly," Sam objected. "I did have time to study, I just-" Sam started.

"So you lied to Lancer?" Tucker accused.

"No, I-"

"Knock it off, Tuck," Danny told his friend. Danny wouldn't take his eyes off Sam. She didn't usually lie. "It's no big deal. Just a little white lie."

"Exactly," Sam agreed. But there was a strange look in her eyes Tucker could not ignore. He narrowed his eyes. She was hiding something...

"I guess," he said, taking good note of how Sam wouldn't look him in the eye. He'd been getting suspicious. Some times, when ghosts were around, she would stall. Tucker hadn't thought any of it at first, just common occurences and minor set-backs, but now it was becoming apparent and more common that coincidence.

"Let's just get some lunch and see if we can go anywhere after school so I don't have to face my parents right away when they receive the letter in the mail telling them that I'm failing math."

"I have no problem with that," Tucker laughed. "Though you can't avoid them forever."

"I can try, can't I?" Danny laughed back. Sam laughed half-heartedly, then frowned.

* * *

_"The boy is getting suspicious." _The voice was once again elegant.

_"I think it is about time we do something about him. Before he finds out too much." _There was a sharp tone in the voice that said it meant business.

_"He is not going in the right direction anyway."_ It was soft, almost a quiet plea.

_"Maybe, maybe not. He's suspicious of something, we need to get him out of the way." _He was eager for some action, the need to do something building up high.

_"He may be an enemy, but I won't let you hurt him." _A fist slammed down on the table they were all sitting around.

_"Do not worry, I will not hurt him." _The man narrowed his eyes. The otehr two ghosts only watched his expression.

* * *

_"So here I am once again  
With my back against the wall  
Afraid to show you  
Afraid to tell you  
I don't know you like I did  
I've never been so alone  
I've never felt so insecure  
And now I don't know where I'm going  
In my life I'm not so sure..."_

* * *

E/N: It took me a while to up-date. So sorry. I'll try up-dating more often, get as much as I can done. I think I may finish this story up quickly. YAY! 

--Airamé Phantom


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Back to back up-dates, oh yeah!**

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**The Art of Deception**

**Chapter Three**

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_"Giving up tonight  
I won't let go  
Won't let go of you  
Giving up tonight..."_

* * *

Later that day, afterschool, the trio of friends finally made it to the park. "Man," Sam sighed, sitting on the bench they usually sat on. It was on top of a short hill, over-looking an extremly long stretch of meadow. "I'm beat." 

Danny sat right down next to her and nodded. "The bad part about having Gym last period: you get more tired than any other class," he said.

"I actually enjoyed today's class," Tucker admitted, sitting across from him and Sam. Both teens looked at him. "What? I did."

Danny groaned and put his head down. "My parents are gonna kill me," he murmured.

"Not again! Danny, listen, just ask Mr. Folluka to give you another chance. He's coming back tomorrow. You'll something extra-credit, and it'll raise your grade. I'll help you," Sam said.

"Like what?" Danny asked. Sam was about to say something when she noticed a trail of blue vapor exit Danny's lips. She blinked.

"Looks like we've got _another _problem on our hands right now," she said, standing.

Danny stood, as did Tucker. Before long, Danny had switched into his alter-ego, Danny Phantom. The white rings formed at his middle and trailed up and down simultaneously, changing his clothes into a black-and-white hazmat suit.

He floated up and looked at his two friends. "You guys stay here," he told them, and flew off to see what lame-o ghost had showed up this time. He hoped, silently, it was Skulker.

"I don't know, I think we should folow," Tucker whispered towards Sam as Danny vanished from sight.

"I think we should stay here," Sam objected. Out of nowhere, Walker appeared behind Tucker. Sam caught sight of him. "Tucker!"

Tucker heard her shrill scream, felt a shiver run down his spine and the temperature suddenly drop. He turned only his head a few inches to see Walker. The ghost grinned devilishly and produced a red shot-like item from behind him. Tucker's eyes widened at the glinting point of the needle. Sam let out a shrill scream as Walker injected the red fluid into Tucker quicker than her eyes could follow. Too fast for Tucker to move, it was done within split-seconds.

Tucker fell forward, unconscious. "What did you do to him?" Sam shouted, angry flames showing in her eyes.Walker only grinned and vanished. Sam rushed to Tucker's side. She checked his neck for a pulse. She sigehd with relief at finding Tucker had vital signs.

"Sam? I heard a scream," Danny's voice penetrated the eerie silence. The thermos in his hand now, Danny's eyes widened as he gazed upon his fallen comrade. "Tucker! What happened?" He got down, kneeling beside the teen. Sam shrugged.

"I don't know, Walker showed up and shot him with this red stuff," she said, her vocie quivering. "He's alive, unconscious, but alive. We should get him to your house, see if it's just some knock-out thing. Your parents can help..."

"Okay, I'll fly him there, it's quicker that way. You mind walking?" Danny asked. Sam shook her head.

"No problem, just get him checked out by your parents and quick!" she exclaimed. Danny nodded and picked up Tucker.

"I'll meet you there," he said, then flew off, invisible.

* * *

"He's gonna be okay, right?" Danny asked his parents. Tucker lay on a white cot, still sleeping. 

"Yes, dear," Maddie assured her son. "It was just to knock him out. Well, almost."

"Huh?" Sam asked. She'd been watching Tucker sleep for awhile, keeping check on the monitors and whatnot. She looked at Maddie.

"You see," Jack said in his booming voice. "The fluid is recognized as a type of ectoplasmic energy. But it's solid. It's not going to do any damage, we already took care of it. But he'll be weak and unable to do much for a few weeks at the most."

"No more than a month," Maddie assured them. "Don't worry though. Did you call his parents?"

"Already done," Jazz told them, coming down the stairs to the lab. "I explained everything and they'll come to pick him up in five minutes."

"Good," Maddie said. "In the meantime, Danny, this came in the mail, from your school." Maddie held up an un-opened envelope with the address of his school stamped on there along with his address. He flinched. "An explanation or should I open this and read it myself?"

"Well, you see mom," Danny stammered.

"Danny's failing math, but I'm gonna help him raise his grade," Sam cut in. "We're gonna ask Mr. Folluka if we could do some extra credit work since my test grade was a little low too."

"Oh," Maddie said. "Danny, you know what I todl you about your grades."

"I know, I've just got too much on my mind lately I've been spacing out, sorry," Danny said. Maddie gave him a fond smile and said, "I'm sure Sam and You can both raise your grades. Thank you, Sam."

"No problem," Sam said.

Minutes later, The Foleys came to pick up Tucker. They carried him out to the car, Tucker still asleep, then drove off. Sam said she had to go home and left soon after. Danny was left,falling asleep again while he tried to study.

* * *

_"The boy is offically out of the way."_

_"Good." _

_"We have a clear path now."_

_"We can follow up right according to plan."_

_"It will all take place in two days. We will build up the tension and suspicion of Daniel with more ghost attacks. Today the Box Ghost, tomorrow another ghost. Are you ready to take on the challenge of playing detective?"_

_"Believe it..."a tear escapes her eye. _

_"Having second thoughts, are we?"_

_"What's done is done, child, you cannot go back on your word."_

_"I have no second thoughts," she said, wiping away her tears. "And I will be able to take the challenge. I'm not going to give up. Ever."_

_"You're going to have to let go of them," said Vlad._

_"I know. I will."

* * *

_

"I wanna show you  
Wanna show you  
Giving up tonight  
I won't let go  
Won't let go of you  
Giving up tonight..."

* * *

E/N: Hope you liked it! I didn't do a full spell-check unfortunately! I'm trying to get this story done, but the chapters are not going to lack importance or anything like that, no worries! As you can probably now see, the few bits of dialogue at the end are Skulker, Walker, Vlad, and our mystery guest. I don't own, by the way, the song 'It Wasn't Enough' by Good Charlotte. But man do those guys rock!

--Airamé Phantom


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Another up-date! I'm on a roll!**

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**The Art of Deception**

**Chapter Four**

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_"All these dreams and all these plans  
I built them all with these two hands  
Everything I've realized my dreams..."_

* * *

"Mr. Folluka?" Danny mumbled, knocking on the open door to the classroom. Sam was right behind him, waiting for the busy teacher to reply. It was already the next day: Tuesday. Tucker was absent that day, but at least he was awake. He'd called both Sam and Danny that morning to remind them to make sure they told him what they were going to have for homework that day. 

"Mr. Fenton, Miss Manson," Mr. Folluka greeted. The short, chubby man folded his hands on his desk and motioned to them to enter. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, we were sort of wondering if there was any way we could raise our grades for this class," Sam offered with a sincere smile.

"Maybe extra credit work?" Danny added. Mr. Folluka looked at both of them.

"You both know," he said. "That I do not offer extra-credit. If you do all your work, homework, and do well on tests then there would be no need for extra-credit."

"But we really need to get our grades up," Danny said.

"Please, Mr. Folluka, just this once?" Sam pleaded.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot offer privileges to you that the other students do not have," the teacher said. He stood his ground, unmoved.

"Mr. Folluka, you don't understand," Danny said. "If I fail this class, I'll be failing this grade. I don't want to be a ninth grader forever!"

"Then you should have studied for this test," Mr. Folluka said.

"Is there any way we could raise our grades without having to do extra-credit?" Sam asked.

"Two more tests are coming up," Mr. Folluka said. "Tomorrow and Friday. If you ace these tests, your grades are guaranteed to be raised up two full grades. That's all I can say."

"Thanks, Mr. Folluka," Sam said. Danny looked at her. They would have to ace both tests. How would he manage that? Sighing, he also gave his thanks and both exited the room.

"How are we going to do that?" Danny questioned once they were out.

"I'll be at your place today at five," Sam said. "Or right after school if you want. We'll study all night if we have to."

"I hardly understand what we did on the last test, how am I going to learn all of this in one day for tomorrow's test?" Danny asked.

"Don't worry," Sam said. She looked at Danny with a sly grin. Danny looked back at her with questioning eyes. She reached into the shoulder bookbag she'd decided to bring that day and held up to him a packet of about five papers. Danny's eyes quickly widened at he realization of what it was.

"Sam!" he accused her. She put a finger to her lips and shushed him, quickly looking up and down the crowded hall. "How did you get your hands on that?" Danny hissed.

"It was just there," Sam told him, putting the packet back inside her bag. "I couldn't help myself."

"We're gonna get caught," Danny said.

"Danny, think of it this way, if we get caught, it's not going to be a 'we', it's going to be me," Sam said. "I have a B in this class, you have an 'F', it would be better if you stay out of it. Study the answers and if I get caught, fine. I can live with a 'C'."

"You can't do that," Danny said.

"Yes, I can," Sam said. "Can't live on the safe side forever, Danny."

"Sam, remember what would have happened if I had cheated on the CST?" Danny reminded her. "I'm not going to cheat."

Sam sighed. "Fine, I'll do this alone. But I'm still going to help you study," Sam said.

"Okay," Danny agreed, nodding slightly. Sam rolled her eyes, but in her head, she was taking good notes of this. Danny's still afraid of turning evil when he's older. She smiled unnoticeably. A weakness.

* * *

After school. Near four-thirty. 

"You're not going to get away with this," Tucker murmured weakly.

"I can get away with anything I want," the girl from before said, chuckling softly at the boy's condition. "I never wished for this to happen to you, but Walker got away with it. All I can do is go according to plan. i'm sorry, Tuck."

"How can you call me 'Tuck' when you're-" Tucker started, but quieted down when the girl put a hand to his throat and squeezed.

"I don't want to have to kill you, Tucker," she said harshly. Tucker looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Now pay close attention. You're only friend in this world was Samantha Elizabeth Manson. The Fentons only had one kid. Her name is Jazz. You and Jazz are only acquaintances. You're going to forget everything you've ever been through with Daniel James Fenton. He never existed. You don't know him because he was never there. All the memories you've had about ghosts are to be forgotten." As the girl talked, she forced Tucker to look directly into her eyes. Tucker tried to struggle, but could not. Soon, he went limp. "Now, you're going to fall asleep. You never saw me here. It was all just like a dream. The reason you're here in your room from school is because you're home sick with the flu. Got it?"

"Yes," Tucker said vaguely. The girl smiled.

"Good," she whispered fondly and let go of the teen. "Good night, Tuck."

* * *

Danny opened the door to the knocking of Sam. "Hey," he said. It was exactly five o-clock, just the time she'd said she would arrive. 

"Hey," she said, smiling. Danny stepped to one side and let her in. She looked around. "Where are your parents?"

"Lab," Danny said. "They want to know exactly what caused what happened to Tucker."

"Oh," Sam mumbled. "I just came from visiting him about an hour or so ago. Then I hung out at the Nasty Burger afterwards."

"Did you tell him what we had for homework?" Danny asked, leading her upstairs to his room.

"Yeah," she said. They entered his room. "What should we do first?"

"I think we should do some homework first, then hit the books," Danny said.

"Alright," Sam said and plopped down next to him on his bed. "Let the school work begin!"

* * *

_"Did you take care of the boy?"_

_"Yep. He doesn't remember a thing. His parents have been taken care of as well. Say, why wasn't there any ghost attack like you said there would be?"_

_"We decided against it in the end. We've done all we need to do. Now we need to get the boy away from everyone else so we can put every ghost under our control to...how do I so nicely put it? Erase him from existence."_

_"Wow, nice," the girl said, shaking her head. _

_"Just focus on what you have to do," Vlad snapped. _

_"Fine, fine, tomorrow he'll be yours, Walker," she said. The ghost grinned. "He'll be in prison, and you, Skulker, can hunt all you want."_

_"And if he agrees to my terms," Vlad added. "Then he will be under **my **control." The man smiled wickedly. _

_"You still creep me out," the girl whispered quietly so none would hear her._

* * *

E/N: Okay, plot is building up. I hope you liked this chapter! And I don't own the song 'Mountain' by Good Charlotte. It was another song that inspired this story. 

--Airamé Phantom


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Uhm...yeah, another up-date. I don't know. For some reason the whole next chapter just keeps coming to me. Aren't you happy though? My fingers are getting stiff from typing. I may not up-date 'til tomorrow after this. Or maybe I will up-date...uh...I dunno. **

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**The Art of Deception**

**Chapter Five**

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_"So tell me what you want cause I would give you anything  
Tell me what you need and I'll go get it  
I'd give up all these dreams to have you in my arms right now  
I'd give up everything and I'd forget it..."_

* * *

Never did it occur to Danny that studying with Sam could be so easy. She really knows how to explain things once she gets the hang of them. He was very confident that he would ace this test for sure! But then again, never get to confident. If you ask him, the saying should be: 'Confidence killed the cat.' 

Danny stared at the paper of forty questions in front of him. "Okay," he whispered to himself. "This is easy." He blinked, as if trying to make sure he was really looking at the test paper. Everything looked so easy! "Yes," he hissed quietly to himself. Thank goodness for studying without rushing!

* * *

Danny's next period was lunch so he took his time on picking up his stuff and exiting the room. Mr. Folluka, however, called him back. "Danny," he said. "Please come here for a minute." 

"Uhm, okay," Danny whispered uncertainly. Had he caught Sam and now thought he'd cheated too? Danny got his nerves under control and tried to look casual. "What's wrong?" he asked the teacher.

"I'm astounded, Mr. Fenton," Mr. Folluka said. "You wanted to get your grade up so bad you probably studied a lot last night."

"I did," Danny nodded. "Sam helped me study."

"Well, congratulations, Danny, you aced the test." Mr. Folluka handed Danny his test paper and Danny glanced at it. 'A' was written neatly across the center of the test paper.

"Alright!" Danny said.

"Mr. Fenton," Mr. Folluka said then. Danny looked up. "And where, may I ask, is Miss. Manson?"

"What?" Danny asked. He'd seen her this morning, where was she now? She'd stolen the answers, why would she skip school? It didn't make any sense. All that trouble just so she wouldn't take the test in the end?

"Miss Manson did not arrive to class today," Mr. Folluka explained.

"Oh, that," Danny said, thinking quickly. "Sam caught a harsh cold last night because she insisted on walking home alone after helping me study until late. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen and left. She'll be back by tomorrow I hope."

"Ah," Mr. Folluka said, nodding. "Okay, well, congrats again, Mr. Fenton. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," Danny said and exited the room. "Tomorrow."

Danny walked outside quickly. It wasn't like Sam to skip school like that, especially with her parents trailing her at her heels. It just wasn't common for her to do this. Then again, she had been acting a bit peculiar these last three days. Maybe something was wrong? It didn't look like anything was wrong. She just wasn't being herself. As Danny thought this, he found himself wandering outside onto the lunch area used for sunny days. Many kids were already eating their lunch, but one particular person caught his eye.

Danny walked over to the girl and stood in front of her. "Sam," he said firmly. Sam turned to look at him questioningly. "Mr. Folluka said you didn't come to class today."

"Oh," Sam said. "That all? Yeah. I don't know why, but I have a really bad feeling about today. You know, like when you feel as if something bad's going to happen?"

"That doesn't mean you have to skip class," Danny insisted. "You're not being yourself, Sam. _I_ have a feeling something's wrong with _you_."

Sam smiled. "Nothing's wrong," she said. "Just like I told you, I've had this bad feeling since the beginning of this week. I really think something's gonna happen."

"Like what?" Danny asked, curious now. She shrugged and looked out and scanned over all the students.

"I don't know," she said softly. "I don't know exactly, but I think it's got something to do with what Walker did to Tucker, and Skulker since you said he voluntarily went back into the Ghost Zone."

"I said I think he went back into the Ghost Zone," Danny corrected.

"Either way something's up," Sam said. "I know it."

Danny looked at her. She spoke with sincerity clear in her voice. He knew she was telling the truth. But if something was up with the ghosts, wouldn't he have found out by now?

"Should we check it out?" Danny asked suddenly. She looked at him. Wow, she hadn't expected that. "If something is wrong I should have known by now but you can never be too sure if the ghosts aren't conspiring against me." Sam mumbled something beneath her breath. It didn't sound very coherent, but he could swear she said-

"Yeah," she said, cutting off his thoughts. "I think we should check it out." She stood. "What harm could it do? Besides, if they are conspiring against you then we should do our best to stop them before they get to do anything seriously harmful to you, like Tucker."

"Talking about Tucker," Danny said. "Maybe we should-"

"I'm sure he's fine, Danny," Sam said. "His parents would not leave him alone."

"Okay," Danny said, but was a bit reluctant. "Where should we look first?"

"Where else? The Ghost Zone. It's the most obvious place."

"But we don't want to be sent into a wild goose chase."

"Trust me, Danny. Why would they plan somewhere else?"

"Good point..."

"Come on."

* * *

_"I wasn't on a mountain  
When it came to me  
All my life's been wasted  
Chasing shallow dreams..."_

* * *

E/N:Er...I don't own the song 'Mountain' by Good Charlotte. If I did, then we'd all be hearing that song 24/7! It's that awesome! 

--Airamé Phantom


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Okay, sorry took me so long to up-date this chapter. Uh...yeah, problems with my friends. One friend hates the other and I'm their...communication line. Yeah, on with the chapter!**

* * *

**

**The Art of Deception**

**Chapter Six**

**

* * *

**

_"You better watch out  
If you don't know what's going on around you  
You better think twice  
Before you fly off the handle and lose it  
You better join us  
Before you get lost in the shuffle  
You better rise against  
The demons that are gonna try and hold you down..."_

_

* * *

_

"Sam, I don't know, my parents can be back any minute," Danny said. They were in the lab now, Danny had phased them through, having to set off the ghost alert system so his parents would leave the lab.

"If we move fast enough they won't," Sam assured him. She quickly walked over to where the Speeder was kept and climbed into the vehicle. Driving it out towards the portal, she said, "You want to ride in here or not?"

"No," Danny said. "If I get caught by Walker or someone then you can escape."

"If you say so," Sam said reluctantly. "Open the portal then."

Danny took off the white glove off his right hand and pressed his thumb to the Genetic Scanner. The button turned green and the portal door's open. There were a few shuffles upstairs and the door leading to the lab coming open.

"Go, Sam!" Danny instructed. Sam sped the Specter Speeder into the portal and Danny followed shortly after in a flash. The portal doors closed behind them. At that very moment his parents came down, eyes scanning around sharply. "We missed them!" Jack whined.

"It's okay, Jack," Maddie said. "We'll get him on their return trip should they come back." Immediately Jack's face lit up.

* * *

Meanwhile, Danny flew next to the Speeder. "Wow, it's quiet," Sam noted. "And not just the eerie kind of quiet that's usually here, a more tense kind of quiet." 

"I think you're right about something going on," Danny murmured, putting his glove back on. They flew on in silence, but Danny could swear Sam was talking to somebody. Danny looked at her. She glanced back at him and smiled. He had just began to smile back when a shout caught his ear and stole his focus. He stopped next to the now stopped Speeder. "Danny!" Sam shouted, pointing forward. Danny looked forward at what she was pointing at. A whole army of ghosts floated there before them. They were Walker's goons no doubt.

"How'd they know," he mumbled to himself.

"We're surrounded!" Sam noticed. "There's no way out!"

Danny looked around. It was true. Some of the goons had already blocked the portal. They were enclosed in a circle of soldiers. "Choose a door, any door Sam!" he said. Sam looked around franticly. Where was it? She spotted a free door that was not being guarded. Good thing too since the guards were moving in!

"Danny, this way!" Sam exclaimed and quickly moved the Speeder in the direction of the door. Danny followed her closely behind. This door, Danny noticed, was a silver color. It looked almost metal. He, however, could care less as long as they got away from those goons! Danny opened the door and fled inside after Sam. Then he bolted the door and smoldered the knob with a ghost-ray so no one could get in easily.

Only now did he take in his surroundings. Inside the room it was dark with very dim lighting. From what he could see, this place was empty. There was no furniture in sight. Only another door jigsawed off of this place. The door was also a silver-metal color. "What is this place?" he muttered aloud.

"I don't know," Sam said truthfully, coming up next to him.

"Sam, get back in the speeder!" Danny instructed. Sam grinned.

"We left the ghosts behind," she said. A loud, thunderous knocking on the door behind them caught their attention.

"Would you like to withdraw that statement?" Danny asked. "Quick, to the other door! They won't get in that easily, but we'd better get out of here if they do!" Both teens rushed into the next room, bolted the door, and found themselves at a fork. Two halls adjoined this room. From outside they could hear that the soldiers had already busted through the door.

"This way," Sam said and ran into the hall to their left. The echo of another door getting knocked down echoed as well. Soon enough grunts, laughs, and chuckles began to echo as the goons piled into the halls to search for them. "We need to lose them," Sam said, gulping.

"How?" Danny asked.

"Split up," Sam said.

"What?" They rounded a corner, out of sight of the guards. Two doors came up and another corner at the end of the hall.

"You go through that door and I'll go through this one," Sam explained. She opened a door to their right; Danny to their left. Closing the door behind them just in time, the goons passed right by their current locations.

* * *

Danny panted and tried to catch his breath on the other side. He could feel his heart thumping loudly in hic chest and hear the thudding in his ears. Taking a deep breath, he looked around his present containment. It was another hall, he noticed. Well, it was almost like a hall. It was a long pathway, a corridor. The walls were empty of adornment, but you could tell this place had more to it than met the eye. 

"Hope Sam's doing okay," he murmured as he went down the corridor. On the other side there were three doors, each far from the other. There was one in front, one to the left, and one to the right. Danny froze dead on his tracks. The knob to the door on the right began to open. It turned right, then left and revealed no light but more darkness. Not to mention the person opening the door. Danny's breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened. Then the person came into view.

* * *

E/N: Couldn't get this chapter up 'til today so yeah. Hope you enjoyed it! I don't own the song 'Blood(Empty Promises' by Papa Roach. This is yet another song that inspired this story, which, by the way, is almost at it's end! 

--Airamé Phantom


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Another up-date! Wooh-hoo!**

* * *

**

**The Art of Deception**

**Chapter Seven**

**

* * *

**

_"Does it run in your blood to betray the ones you love?  
Does it run in your blood to betray the ones you love?  
The ones you love, the ones you love, the ones you love..."_

_

* * *

_

"Sam," Danny said, relieved. Danny ran over to her. Sam smiled, but it was short-lived. She quickly exited the door and closed it, bolting it behind her.

"They found me and are catching up," she said. She spotted the two other doors and opened the one right in front of them now, the one that seemed to lead straight ahead from the corridor they were presently in. "We'd better hurry."

Danny nodded. He couldn't hear anyone in pursuit of her, but trusted her just the same. They ran through the door, closing it behind them. Danny had been right. This door had led them into what seemed to be another hallway. This hallway, though, had slick white walls and floors. It had, still, dim lighting, but you could see way better. Now in front of him, Sam kept running at top speed. Danny easily kept up with her, so it didn't really matter.

From behind them he heard nothing. Could the guards have been tricked into going in another direction? "Sam, are you sure they caught up to you?" he asked. "I don't hear anything."

"I didn't imagine it," Sam shot at him. "Trust me, okay?"

"I do," Danny said, but stilled felt a little unsure. She was sure acting very strange. It also seemed as though she knew where she was going. Every time they had to pick doors, she always chose without even looking at the other doors. Is it possible that she's-

Danny's train of thought was interrupted by his running into what seemed an invisible barrier. He crashed, fell backwards and lied there before sitting up. Sam had stopped on the other side. "Danny," she whispered.

"Sam!" Danny said, standing up. He pounded on the barrier with both fists. "I can't get out!"

"The other way, Danny," she said. Danny turned and tried to get out the other way, but that side was blocked too.

"It's no use, I'm boxed in!" he exclaimed. He looked at Sam. She only stood there. She wasn't even looking at him directly anymore. Danny walked over and placed both hands on the barrier. "Sam?" he asked, wondering what was up. "You okay?"

Sam's shoulders shook. Danny frowned. She was...laughing. A short, soft chuckle escaped her throat. She looked up at him now. A small smile curved her purple-color lips. "Perfect," she said.

"What?" Danny exclaimed in disbelief. Perfect? What was she talking about? Why was she laughing? And why did she have that expression of sick and warped happiness on her face.

Sam, suddenly, changed. In a quick-flash, her clothes were replaced by a black, shadow-colored hazmat suit. Her dark hair was up in a full pony tail, and her amethyst eyes gleamed with glee. Danny's eyes widened. He simultaneously shouted her name and pounded on the barrier. Something had to be possessing her. This was not the Sam he had grown to know. It couldn't be. Could it?

"Stop," Sam told him firmly. Her voice held a laughing-tone, but was stern all the same. Danny stopped pounding on the barrier, thoughts spurring, confusion clear on his face. Sam smiled again. That sick, wicked grin only brought more horror to Danny's soul. He found himself breathing hard against a sick feeling at the pit of his stomach. He found that his heart was beating loudly and his eyes were wide with fear and bewilderment.

"Surprised?" Sam asked. Danny didn't respond, only looked at her. "Surprised your best friend betrayed you? Surprised she led you into a trap, Danny?"

"This isn't funny, Sam!" Danny said. "Let me out!" The word 'betrayed' just wouldn't register in his mind. The words 'your best friend betrayed you' just wouldn't make sense to him. That particular sentence didn't exist to him, to his mind. He pounded once again on the barrier, but cut it short as something else began to happen. From all four corners of the invisible bow he was in came what looked like electric rods. A small trapdoor slid open on the ground and out came the rods, glowing menacingly. Danny stepped back as the rods then joined in forming a square shape with visible electricity. Now he was in the middle of a square formed by electric power. "Sam," he tried again. No answer. Only a wicked smile formed on her face. "What is this?" he asked, his voice shaking.

"Wait and find out for yourself," Sam said, still smiling. Danny didn't get a chance to say anything else as the rods suddenly began to glow more fiercely, delivering a shock to Danny, literally. He felt his whole body flare with energy, electric and ectoplasmic. His powers seemed to be trying to fight it off, but finally succumbed to the new energy. The shock continued. Danny felt his body lose all strength and his voice no longer followed instructions, stopping his pained howl-scream. The electric attack stopped. The rods vanished back into their cases.

Danny stood there for only a few more seconds. Then a white ring appeared at his waist. It slowly moved up and down simultaneously, changing him back into human form. Then his legs gave way and he fell onto his knees before falling down on all fours, him still struggling to stay awake. He couldn't even lift his glance at first, only looked down, trying to regain stamina. Then he finally looked up at Sam.

The barrier had gone down now. Sam closed in on him and crouched down to be at almost eye-level with him. She cupped his chin in her hand and smiled. "Feeling a little helpless, Danny?" she asked. Her tone was so cheerful, it made him sick. Danny jerked away from her. She grinned. "Feeling angry?"

"My parents or Jazz will find me," Danny said. He knew for a fact that electricity didn't just short out his powers. It had a larger effect. "If I can't stop you, they will."

Sam chuckled. "Your parents, your sister, and everyone else who ever knew you including Tucker won't even remember your name," she said. Danny looked at her. "Every ghost beneath our control took away every memory of Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom from everyone in the city. All your relatives and friends have forgotten you no matter where they are."

"'Our?" Danny asked.

"Vlad, Walker, Skulker, and me," Sam explained.

She was working for Vlad, and two of his other enemies? That's the lowest of the low. "I'll kill you," Danny snarled. He no longer care for this. If she was telling the truth, then no one would come to help him, no one. She betrayed him, led him into a trap, and worst yet, conspired against him with his own enemies.

"Now, Danny," Sam said smugly. "You can't kill me in cold blood, because if you do, then you might just become evil yourself." Danny's breath caught in his throat again. Now she was using that against him? "I know you would hate the fact of killing everyone you ever loved in your life in the future, wouldn't you?" Danny said nothing, only glared daggers at the girl.

Sam stood and turned her back on him, walking away. "How long?" Danny managed to ask. He strained his voice to remain even, angry but casual.

"What?"

"How long has this been going on behind my back?"

"Since we met," Sam said. "I'm not a Manson, Danny. I was given to the Mansons as a replacement for their actual daughter who was lost in an accident. I don't know much about my real parents, but my real mother died at the same time the real Sam Manson died. Vlad found me and gave me a purpose for living. To spy on Jack Fenton, befriend his son and daughter. I've been in touch with Vlad ever since you got your ghost powers, before we'd only send occasional letters. But they were for my foster parents, not me."

"So that's how Vlad knew me during the reunion?" Danny asked, now remembering something.

"Yes," Sam said. "I told him only about a ghost boy who'd arrived in town. I didn't tell him it was you though."

"All this talk about trust, all that jazz you were saying, it was all fake," Danny snarled. He couldn't believe it. His best friend since they were kids was a spy. She'd faked through every situation only to report it to Vlad. It was...sickening. He looked up again as Sam began to walk away. "I never expected this from you. You of all people," he said, teeth clenched with anger, blue eyes flaring with angry flames. "So are you just gonna walk away? Forget me? I'll make sure you never forget what you did to me, never." She stopped. "To think," Danny continued. "I thought you were my best friend. To think I actually once loved you."

Sam gasped quietly. She didn't turned. Didn't move. Only stood there, dumbstruck. "You're never going to live this down, Samantha," Danny growled.

Sam instinctively snapped her fingers. In a second three guards had apprehended Danny, putting cuffs around his wrists, keeping a good grip on his arms. "I hope you're satisfied," Danny said. Sam still didn't move. She only stood there, trying to keep her head up high to show she cared not for his words even though they hurt her so.

Danny, though human, could not get through the ghosts. Somehow, he guessed, Vlad found a way to keep him locked up even as human. He looked back at Sam as the guards led him away. Her shoulders shook slightly, but he didn't care. Let her live her mistakes; let him live his betrayal.

_

* * *

_

_"Cause I'm not a pawn for you to play in your fucking game  
I've got dignity and I dream that I want to change _

The pressure, your troubled and you let me down  
I'm not deaf and all I hear is your empty promises..."

* * *

E/N: I don't own the song 'Blood(Empty Promises)' by Papa Roach. This is yet another song that inspired this story, which, by the way, is almost at it's end! I'll up-date later! 

--Airamé Phantom


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Up-date, yeah!**

* * *

**

**The Art of Deception**

**Chapter Eight**

**

* * *

**

_"Does it run in your blood to betray the ones you love?  
Does it run in your blood to betray the ones you love?  
The ones you love, the ones you love, the ones you love..."_

_

* * *

_

Danny leaned against the wall of his cell, looking off into the vast green nothingness of the Ghost Zone through the small, barred window. His arms were crossed over his chest, one foot pressed against the wall to keep him up. In his mind he still couldn't believe Sam had done this. In his mind he still did not understand. He didn't want to believe it anyway. It would take him a long time if he ever wanted to come into the realization of her betrayal. And yet, he also realized that he would rather believe this than to believe that she was being possessed or forced against her own free will. Either way he loses though. He sighed.

"Danny?" came a soft, gentle voice. He would have described it as so if he didn't recognize it. He made no movement, only kept his eyes on the outside. To think that out of this horrid dimension lay his parents, friends, and teacher. To think that they didn't remember him at all. And it was all because of this one girl. Because she used him and led him into a trap.

The boy's train of angry thoughts was broken by a small sigh and the sound of something being put down on the floor - the sound of metal on concrete. Then the sound of the object being slid across to his side of the barred cell door. "You should eat something," the voice said again.

Danny hadn't said a single word since they'd brought him here. Walker had tried to persuade him to admit defeat, but of course Danny kept his mouth shut. Skulker rubbed in his face that his best friend had betrayed him. He had yet to hear from Vlad. But he already knew what the old man would say. Danny uncrossed his arms and leaned up off the wall, turning, at last, to the girl before him. She was crouched down, looking up at him. On the floor, having been slid through a narrow and four-inch tall slit in the door was a metal tray. The kind of food they give at Casper High and a carton of what looked like ordinary milk placed next to it.

"I was able to get into the kitchen at school and get some food from there," Sam explained. "No one noticed and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to eat the food here. If the ghosts don't like it, you'll like it even less."

Danny looked at her suspiciously with questioning eyes. Why had she done that? He thought she didn't care. Was it another trick? Everything looked like a trick now. He walked over and sat down on the floor crossed-legged. Though he would much rather not eat at all, he couldn't ignore the hunger that had been bothering him since they captured him. He had, after all, not eaten since morning. It was at least and at the latest about two or so in the afternoon.

Sam watched him with sharp eyes. He was in human form still, probably hating to be human in ghost prison. He hadn't been able to go ghost for hours after being apprehended. She wondered if he had tried again yet. He still wasn't talking, she noticed. Why would he talk to her anyway? There wasn't any reason for him to talk to her at all, not after what she did. "Danny," she tried again as he had begun to eat. He ate slowly, silently, but she knew he was hungry. He stopped and looked at her. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked. His voice was harsh, cold and unmoved. Though his features didn't show it, the boy was as angry as can be. "For betraying me? For leading me into a trap? For pretending to be my friend? For using my trust for you against me? Make your pick."

Sam said no more. She noticed now that even if it looked as if he was looking her in the eye, he wasn't. The reason he didn't look up was because he couldn't look her in the eye. "I think I just lost my appetite," he murmured and pushed the tray back to her side. Before he could, however, he found himself looking into the vivid amethyst eyes of the person he'd grown to know as Samantha Manson.

Sam had cupped his chin between his thumb, index, and middle fingers, forcing him to look at her directly. His eyes got caught straight away, she knew, because she could see the intense feeling in those blue eyes that used to be so warm. Now they looked confused, alone, empty. A void that would forever be empty. He looked away quickly, trying, most likely, to not fall beneath any spell her eyes could cast upon him.

Danny didn't want to become vulnerable. It was if her eyes were entrancing enough to make him go limp right then and there. He was not about to show this vulnerability. Not now, not ever, not to her. "Why?" he asked quietly. She looked at him. He turned back to her with angry blue eyes now. "Why did you do it, Sam?"

_At least he's talking now, _Sam thought sullenly. "I said I'm sorry," she insisted.

"But why'd you do it?" Danny repeated. "I try to understand and I just don't. I thought I knew you, thought I knew you perfectly, and now it turns out I don't know you at all."

Sam withdrew slightly, shifting to be on her knees and sitting back on her legs, clasping and unclasping her hands. "Like I said before," she started. "When I was very little, my mom died. I don't know what happened to my dad, I don't remember him, but after my mom died, I was alone. Vlad came up to me on the day of her funeral, saying she used to be a friend of his. I'd been sitting on top of one of the many large statues. I can remember it so clearly..."

_**FLASHBACK:**_

_A young little girl with short black hair and amethyst colored eyes sat crying on the edge of a large, marble statue of an angel. A shadow was cast over her and she turned quickly, wiping her tears away. A man stood there, looking at her with the most sincerely sympathy-filled look ever. "You're name is Sagira, right?" he said in a calm, gentle voice. The girl nodded. _

_"Who are you?" she asked him. Her voice trembled, uneven._

_"I am Vlad Masters," he replied. "Your mother was a good friend of mine a long time ago. She and I used to know each other very well." _

_Sagira sniffled. "Really?" she asked. Vlad nodded. Sagira looked deep into the man's eyes and saw something there. "You know," she said, smiling thinly. "Your eyes remind me a lot of mine." _

_Vlad looked at her. He looked into her eyes. A longing, he saw, to be loved. Her eyes looked wounded at a level one could not even imagine. They held deep loss and grief. And yet the girl smiled at him as though he were long-lost best friend._

_"She's gone, isn't she?"_ _the girl asked then. Such refinement was held in her voice, he could hardly believe the girl was only five. Vlad nodded solemnly. The girl nodded slightly and looked down. "I never knew my dad," she whispered. _

_"What are you going to do now?" Vlad asked. "Stay with someone else?"_

_"I think," the girl said. _

_"I'll tell you what," Vlad promised. "I know two very nice people who would love to take care of you, what do you say?"_

_"Really?" the girl's face brightened. _

_"But only if you promise me something," Vlad said. _

_"What?"_

_"They live in a place called Amity Park not to far from here. There lives a man there named Jack Fenton. We were once friends. I want you to befriend his son, Danny. He is about your age. Agreed?"_

_"Okay," she said. _

_"Your name, by the way, is now no longer Sagira."_

_"What is it now?"_

_"Samantha Elizabeth Manson."_

_"Wow it's long..."_

**_:END FLASHBACK_**

"Amazing," Sam whispered now. She'd gotten to the fine-points of the memory as she told Danny. "I remember that day so clearly and yet I don't even remember my mother's face."

"That's how you became a Manson then," Danny whispered. Sam nodded. "But why someone like Vlad? Why him? Why did you agree?"

"Because," Sam said. "Without anyone there, my mother or father, I had lost my purpose and reason for living and to live. Anyone would pass me by and consider me unimportant. A mere child. I felt unnecessary. I sought, in my mind, a reason to keep living. A purpose to live for. Vlad came and gave me both. I hold him dear for that."

It made sense in a sick, warped kind of way, Danny knew. She would have given up living if not for Vlad. To live without even a reason, a daily struggle and fight day by day without any purpose. It made sense. But it still made him sick to his stomach. He couldn't find a way to say he forgave her, so her merely stood and walked away. Sam watched him as he resumed his past position against the wall.

_He says nothing_, she thought. She stood as well.

"I will forgive," Danny said. She gawked at him inwardly. He didn't look at her. There was no way to tell whether or not he really meant it. His voice held no emotion nor sign of his sincerity. "But I won't forget what you did, Sam. I never will."

"Thank you," Sam whispered.

"But," Danny said. "Just letting you know, you've lost my respect as both an enemy and past friend."

Sam froze, but quickly thawed and nodded, her expression hardening. "A fair price," she said, smiling wickedly. She would not show him the hurt his words caused her. "Good-bye, Daniel."

Danny didn't stir, only listened as Sam's steps echoed through the hall, growing more and more faint. He sighed, but did not lose his composture. It is always easier to walk away, isn't it?

* * *

Meanwhile... 

Jasmin Fenton sat on a window seat in her room, staring out. She'd had the strange feeling something was wrong but she couldn't place it. She heard the door open and knew automatically it was her mother, Maddie Fenton. "Mom," she said quietly.

"Yes, dear?" her mother replied. She was collecting laundry to wash the next day.

"Have you ever felt as if you lost something?" Jasmin asked.

"What do you mean, Jasmin?" Maddie asked.

"Like, something very important. You forgot something you weren't supposed to forget. Lost something you knew you couldn't and weren't supposed to lose. Something...precious?"

Maddie smiled fondly at her daughter. "I'm afraid not, dear," she said. "What do you think you lost?"

"I don't know," Jasmin said truthfully. "It's someone important, I know it. Someone I wasn't supposed to forget. Ever."

"Someone?" Maddie asked. Jasmin looked at her.

"Huh?"

"You said someone, Jasmin," Maddie said. Jasmin looked at her, blinked a couple of times.

"I did?" she asked. Maddie nodded. "I...didn't notice."

Maddie put a hand on her daughter's shoulder and patted it fondly. "I hope you find whatever it is you lost, sweetie," she said.

"Yeah," Jasmin whispered as her mother left the room. She looked back at the darkening sky outside. "I hope so too."

_

* * *

_

_"I will forgive but I won't forget  
And I hope you know you've lost my respect..."_

* * *

E/N: Ah! Oh my gosh! Wow! Well, okay, everyone, especially Axel, knows I love to make speeches. Sam's speech though I kinda based on this speech that a character named Haku said in an episode of Naruto. It's similar, but not exact okay. I can't remember exactly what Haku said anyway. Hope you liked the chapter! 

--Airamé Phantom


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Wow. So many up-dates in three days! I must have set some sort of new record! Enjoy!**

* * *

**

**The Art of Deception**

**Chapter Nine**

**(Beginning in Danny's P.O.V)**

**

* * *

**

_"No matter how hard they try and  
No matter how loud they cry  
They can't  
Buy their way into heaven..."_

_

* * *

_

_"You can still choose otherwise, Daniel."_

_"I'm not going to be under your control, ever. I'd rather rot in ghost prison."_

_"You're not all ghost, I can get you out of here. Would you not rather be with Sam?"_

_"I stand firmly with my decision."_

_"I will not have this type of back-talk, Daniel!"_

_"Then leave me alone! I'm not going to join! I don't care if my parents forgot me! If my own friends betrayed and forgot me! I'm not going to join you! **Ever**! And there's nothing you can do to change my mind."_

_"You will regret this choice," Vlad had said. _

To this day, nearly a year or so later, I do some times wonder if I regret my choice. There are times when I wished I had gone with Vlad, then tricked him and escaped. Then there are tomes when I knew I'd done the right thing by staying away from him and Sam.

Sam.

To tell you the truth, I think I still do, even after her betrayal, love her in a way I can't even describe. I hate her because I love her. Does that make any sense? And, also to tell you the truth, it scares me too. It makes me think that if we ever do come face to face in a real, all-out, straight-out fight, I wouldn't give it my all. I'm afraid that if it ever comes to the point where it's my life against hers, then I'd still choose her over me. Is that true love? Or hate?

Does it make sense if it's hate? Probably not. I believe that if you hate someone, you would want them dead. But if you truly, down-right, from the bottom of your heart hate somebody, then you'd want them to live and see them suffer. I can never decide if I want to see her alive because I love her, or because I hate her from the center of my soul. And to make things clear, some times I don't even want to know.

And after nearly a year and a half, I still don't want to know for sure. It's not so much now that I don't want to know, it's that I can't figure it out. My mind's been on so many other things I haven't been able to think about it.

Funny, huh? All this time in ghost prison and I haven't even had time for my own thoughts. It's not funny. I've been training myself both mentally and physically. In the lunch hour at the prison, I usually pick fights, trying to build a strong barrier against pain. And trying to to make my powers stronger too. I force myself farther and farther into a mind-state where nothing matters except busting out of this dump and resuming, hopefully, a normal life.

And when no one's around at night, I wonder if someone out there, I don't care who, still remembers me. I fool myself into thinking that there's one person out there wishing I'd return, awaiting my arrival back to Amity Park. Even though I know that no one remembers me. Jazz is almost going to go to college, just a little more to go. My parents are most likely still ghost-hunters, and the Mansons and Foleys probably are very convinced I never existed. But one person from my past still remains with the knowledge of my existence. Samantha Elizabeth Manson, the name I'd grown so used to.

She betrayed me a while ago, and though I forgave her, I made a promise I have to keep. That I will never let her forget what she did to me. As long as she remains within my grasp, I'll return the favor. And then I think that over and once again return to past thoughts of whether I love her from the bottom of my heart, or hate her from the very core of my soul. Then, I try to forget everything I told myself.

But not anymore. Today, I'm gonna kiss this place good-bye.

* * *

"One of the prisoner's escaping!" shouted one voice. 

"How?"

"Just get that punk back in here! He can't go far! We've built more ground to this place! There are guards everywhere!"

"We're sorry, Walker, but the guards are searching the building, there's no sign of him! We've made a scan of the area and can't spot him!"

"Keep looking!"

"Yes sir," said the goon and ran off to find the mischievous prisoner. He'd tried before to escape. Little had they all known that he was merely testing the level of difficulty on this level of escape.

Walker was not happy. He'd only had problems since that ghost-kid had entered his prison. It was time to call in a professional. He held the walkie-talkie up to his mouth and said, "He's out again."

"Who?"

"That punk!"

"Danny? Again?"

"Just get him back in here this instant!"

"On my way!"

The said boy grinned as he remained pressed against a brick wall while goons and guards ran on the walk-way above him. It was dark in the Ghost Zone and a curious tension rose in the air. He'd done this so many times before he knew which escape routes would work, which wouldn't, which guards he should steer clear of, which guards he could easily fool, and more importantly, how to avoid any traffic.

Danny smiled again as he found that the place around him was currently vacant. "Suckers," he sneered, smirking, and ran across the empty courtyard and towards the barb-wire topped walls. One said wall had dull barbed wire should he fall, and the alarm set over the walls to set off an alert for Walker was presently out of order.

Danny wasted no time and was nearly then when a quickly blur of black landed in front of him. He scowled at the person there. "Hold on," she said, a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"What are you doing here?" Danny snarled, green eyes flaring with anger. He was in ghost form, he'd been for a very long time, only going into human form to avoid a few non-human-proof things in the prison, including the prisoners themselves.

"Long time no see and not even a hello," the girl said. Her lilac colored eyes glinted with joy. Danny's eyes narrowed and his hands tightened into fists. If she didn't get out of his way, he would...he would...Danny let out a groan and went out of his battle stance-like pose. His hands dangled freely at his side. Alarms wailed loudly all over the prison. Shouts and yells could be heard over them and it all echoed throughout the Ghost Zone. The girl smiled a little more broadly.

Danny made a disgusted sound. Why after all this time could he still not fight her? Why?

"Afraid to strike?" she asked. "They're coming for you, you know."

"I'm not and I know," Danny retorted. It was now or never and it had to be now! Danny's hands tightened into fists again. His left foot slid across the ground a little bit to give him more balance. His knees bent slightly and he leaned forward unnoticeably. One hand glowed with ectoplasmic energy. "I don't want to fight you, Sam," Danny stated firmly.

Sam chuckled. Danny heard some shouts, sounding closer but not yet in sight of them. He glanced behind him briefly to make sure and confirmed his hunch. They had not yet gotten to checking this ground. Then he turned back around to look at Sam. He gasped inwardly, his eyes widened. Sam stood in a casual pose. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her eyes were closed as she laughed softly. Her lashes lifted and she looked at him fondly. Danny was so astounded by the look on her face, his jaw nearly dropped.

Seeing his surprised look at her coolness, Sam held a hand out towards where his destination was, as if showing him the way. "Go," she said. "I won't stop you."

Danny's jaw dropped slightly as he looked at her. "What?" he asked in disbelief.

"Go before they find out what I'm doing," Sam instructed. "I'm letting you go without a fight. Take it."

"But why?" Danny asked.

"I want you to see for yourself how different the world is without you," she said. "How different everyone you knew is. I want you to see with your own eyes. Now go."

Danny wasted no time. He ran past Sam. shot into flight over the barb-wire topped wall and vanished from sight as he made his way away from the ghost prison that had encased him for so long. Sam watched with a small smile. From behind her, someone asked, "Did you stop him?"

"No," she said. "He slipped right through my fingers. He was gone before I got here."

"Walker's not going to be happy," the guard said.

"I'll explain that it was my fault, you needn't worry," Sam assured him.

* * *

_Why did you do it, Sam_, Danny thought as he flew towards the portal he'd used so many times before. _Why did you do it. I hope you know this won't earn you any gratitude. So why'd you do it..._

Sam walked over to Walker's office now, casually of course. On the outside she looked calm and ready, inside she was fighting her own battle. _Why'd I do it_, she thought. _I know it won't change his hatred towards me. So why? Maybe you still like him...Maybe not. _She sighed. _Maybe I do..._

_

* * *

_

_"No matter how hard they try and  
No matter how high they climb up the ladder  
They won't reach up into heaven.."_

* * *

E/N: I've got good news and the bad news. Tell me which you want to hear first!

Almost forgot! I don't own the song 'In This World(Murder)' by Good Charlotte! It's the last song that inspired this story!

--Airamé Phantom


	10. Chapter 10

**The Art of Deception**

**Chapter Ten**

**Epilogue**

**

* * *

**

_"Giving up tonight  
I won't let go  
Won't let go of you  
Giving up tonight  
I wanna show you  
Wanna show you  
Giving up tonight..."_

_

* * *

_

"You want me to believe he got past you!" Walker questioned. He stood, slamming his down on his desk. Sam didn't even blink.

"Yes," Sam said simply.

"Sam," Vlad said calmly. "Daniel could not have gotten past you that easily unless you allowed him to."

"You doubt me?" Sam asked. "I never thought that you of all would doubt me."

"Tell us the truth, Sagira," Vlad said, his patience thinning. Sam tense slightly. He only ever used her real name when he was angry or losing his composure. But, she wasn't about to give in and say she did let him go just yet.

"I _am_ telling you the truth," she said insisted.

"For your sake, I hope this is the truth," Vlad warned. "I told you to give up on him, Sagira, to let him go as a friend. You're enemies now. He's your rival, arch nemesis."

"I know," Sam assured him.

* * *

Meanwhile... 

Danny had found his way out the portal and out of the lab before his parents could catch him. The lab, at least, was still intact so that meant they still hunted ghosts. Sighing with some relief, he reverted back into human form. He hadn't realized he hadn't been regular Danny Fenton for a very...

Wait. Was he still Danny _Fenton_? He was, right? But could he go by that name still? How's he gonna explain that his parents _forgot_ him? How was he gonna get their memory back anyway? Could the ghosts really have erased him from _ever_ existing? Is that even _possible_?

All these questions whirled round and round in his mind as he walked down the block. He didn't know where he was going fully consciously, but he knew he would end up somewhere some time.

Then other questions caught up to date. Could he go to school? Was he actually a tenth grader now? Would he go to Casper High again? How was he going to inscribe himself back in with no parents to help him? Everything seemed so difficult now. Even school without going to school was difficult to comprehend.

Danny looked up and stopped. He was in the middle of a regular street. Off ahead was a four-way intersection. At the corner store on the other side of the street talking to another woman was Mrs. Foley. Did she remember him? The woman she was talking to was perfectly recognizable as Tucker's Aunt Lisa. Danny looked at the other person standing there. She was a little girl of about seven or eight. She was playing a small, ball: the kind you get from the machines at stores for fifty or twenty-five cents. She was Tucker's youngest cousin Cassie: the devil whirlwind they used to call her. She could do anything and everything Tucker could when it came to technology despite her age. Did any of them remember him? He wondered...

Danny began to walk forward again. He wanted to go see what would happen if he just went to go talk to them for a little while. Maybe they would remember him. He didn't look all that different after so long.

Then he froze. Cassie ran into the street! _Right in the path of a loud, roaring cargo truck!_

Danny didn't hesitate at all, moving quickly and swiftly. He had an estimated ten seconds to get her out of the way. During that time of thought he'd gotten all the way to the corner of the street, ran at top-speed into the street to save Cassie. It was as if everything had been going in slow-motion for him. He'd been only a couple of yards from the corner when he heard Mrs. Foley shout out Cassie's name. Then the honk of the truck rang in his ears, like a shot signaling the start of a race. Without realizing it, he had found himself running towards Cassie and pulling her out of the truck's path.

Danny, having not had enough time however, had had to jump towards Cassie to get her out of the way. To make sure they didn't land in a way where either of them would get hurt, a hastily made flip was in great need. Danny put one arm out, 'tagged' the floor with his hand and landed strictly in a crouched position, Cassie in his arms. Screams and cheers and gasps had rung out everywhere from the spectators as they watched the impossible feat. Danny, not being able to stay on his feet, fell backwards into a sitting position and loosen his hold on Cassie. The young girl made a whimpering sound.

"Cassie?" Danny asked. "You okay?" The girl responded by nodding slightly. Tears sparkled in her eyes. Danny smiled and hugged her. "Good," he sighed and looked up as Mrs. Foley and Lisa came over to claim the child.

"Cassie!" Lisa exclaimed, making a grab for the child. She took Cassie into her arms and hugged her. Danny watched with a fond smile, making no effort to stand. Then Mrs. Foley looked at him and offered her hand. "Thank you," she said. Danny took her hand and stood.

"No problem," he replied. Mrs. Foley returned his fond smile.

"But how" she started, only to be interrupted by the concerned voice of a male truck driver.

"Is everyone okay?" the man in the blue uniform called. "I couldn't stop fast enough."

"Everyone's okay thanks to..." Mrs. Foley stopped. She looked at Danny. "I didn't catch your name."

Danny's heart fell. So they didn't remember him. Sam had been telling the truth about the ghosts erasing everyone's memories. "It's...not important," he said quietly. "I'll see you around maybe, Mrs. Foley. Bye." He began to walk away.

"Wait!" Mrs. Foley called, but stopped When Danny sped up and broke into a run around the corner and out of sight. "How did he know I was a Foley," she asked quietly to herself and tried to help console the crying child.

So this is what it means to start off fresh. No one knows you. Or rather, no one remembers you. It had its up-sides, and it's down-hills. But somehow, Danny vowed, somehow he was going to make someone, _anyone_, remember.

He wasn't about to give up just yet.

_

* * *

_

"I won't let go  
Won't let go of you  
Giving up tonight

Am I giving up?  
Giving up

I don't wanna give this up  
I won't..."

* * *

E/N: Most wanted to hear the bad news first. How do I put this? Uhm, this is the last chapter. 

But! Before you pound me to a pulp, there is going to be a sequel! Do don't kill me yet else you won't have your sequel --sticks tongue out at you then dodges a pie thrown by my brother-- Hey! --chases after brother-- 'Til next time!

--Airamé Phantom


End file.
